Tongyeong Cable Car

The best view of Tongyeong can be reached by cable car. On our last day, the boyfriend and I taxied over to the lower platform of the Hallyeo Waterway Observation Cable Car and bought ourselves two tickets for what I thought was going to be the easiest mountaintop view ever. When we arrived at the "top" though, I was sweetly informed that there were a couple hundred more meters to go if the best pictures were to be taken.

The air was so sticky and hot that the only way to move was very slowly. The sloth came to mind as each lethargic step followed the next. Once the top was near, however, a delicious breeze came up the mountainside. It was truly beautiful up there. A huge variety of plants grew all over each other, clinging at times to rock faces. Once at the very top, the valleys and hills, fields and ponds were lain out before us like a map from some make believe land. I'll stop talking and let the pictures tell the tale.

Fields below.

Some flora.

Strange cabbage shaped evergreen.

Tongyeong Food

Every town has its signature dish in Korea and Tongyeong is no exception. As expected, seafood rules in Tongyeong. Here are some of the specialties the boyfriend and I dipped into.

Kimbab and seafood kimchi.

There were posters everywhere advertising this simple ensemble of plain kimbab and heavily salted seafood kimchi. I have to say that the kimchi was a bit salty for my taste, but it balanced out a bit with the plainness of the kimbab. This meal cost 4,ooo won for two.

Before:

Assortment of barbecued fish.

After:

We followed our noses to this one! There were three different kinds of fish on this platter. Most of the locals were eating the fish was the soy sauce mixture you see to the left of the fish, but the owner thoughtfully served it on the side for us foreigners. The fish was great - the mackerel in particular. We ate until we were absolutely stuffed - and it cost us 15,000 won alltogether.

Seaweed with sesame and sweet and sour sauce.

Mystery crustacean.

Whelk

Langostine

Sashimi

Leaving Tongyeong without having a proper sushi meal was unimaginable so we ducked into one of the many restaurants serving sushi to get a taste. We ordered the a set for two and it was practically a banquet! The first course comprised of different kinds of seafood served raw or lightly cooked. There was enough to cover the table! Then came some hand rolls and sashimi. Some grilled vegetables followed, and lastly, a delicious fish bone soup. This was our most expensive meal in Tongyeong. It put us back 60,000 won, but was well worth the money!

The only downside to Tongyeong dining is how salty a lot of dishes tended to be. The soups were the only exception to the general saltiness of the food. I guess that's what happens when everything you eat comes from the sea!



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Tongyeong: Bijindo

On to the beach! The second day in Tongyeong was spent on the lovely beach on Bijindo. Tickets to get to the island are available at the ferry terminal. During the high season (July), the ferry goes back and forth every hour. The first boat leaves Tongyeong at 9am and the last boat docks at the beach at 6pm.

The ride to the beach was pretty long, about 40 minutes, but the sea air felt delicious. The ferry threaded through a jumble of islands. The day was fairly clear and the view was beautiful.

Bijindo is actually two islands connected by a long sandy beach on one side, and a rockier beach on the other. The ferry stopped first on the other side of the island. There was a small cluster of colorful buildings along the beach. 

The next stop was the beach. In a few minutes, white sand came into view. Just a few umbrellas popped out along the quiet shore. A row of shops meant that we wouldn't be stranded without food and water. I couldn't wait to jump in!

The view was spectacular no matter which way you looked. Even the rocky side was beautiful.

On the beach there was anything a beach-goer could possibly want. There were inner tubes for those who couldn't swim (quite a few) and beach umbrellas for rent (10,000 won for the day). Sunblock and scuba gear, ramen and fried chicken - all were available at the shops alongside the beach. We spent the entire afternoon alternately basking in the sun and swimming out into the cool water. At 5:30 pm, it was time to head back. We boarded the ferry back to Tongyeong, ready to find some dinner. On the way, we talked about coming back.

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Tongyeong Live Fish Market

The first day was half gone by the time the bus had arrived in Tongyeong. Nevertheless, there were plenty of things to see and do! We picked up some supplies from the Emart across from the bus station and hailed a cab. It took us to the ferry terminal on the other side of town where we quickly found our lodgings and unloaded. The first attraction we hit was the Tongyeong Live Fish Market.

Markets! There is something absolutely enchanting about them. The Tongyeong Live Fish Market is one of the most exciting and entertaining markets I've been to. The fish in this market are caught locally and trucked in. Most of the customers seemed to be locals, looking for the freshest fish available.

The ladies selling the fish in the market know their craft! Calling out prices in a friendly manner, they didn't give me a hard time for taking all these pictures or for these videos either.

These fish were flopping about before this lady grabbed them and started cracking off their heads!! She continues to finish off the rest of the fish in a similar fashion after she is done with this one. The whole basket only takes a few minutes for her to de-scale/de-skin and to clean. 

Here is a map of Tongyeong. Everything we visited around the ferry was within a short walk of each other, though you will need to take a taxi back and forth to the bus station.

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Arriving In Tongyeong

As one of my good college friends would have said, "Good life decision."

Thursday was the first day of our glorious vacation. It began with a bus ride from Seoul to Tongyeong. We caught a bus from the Express Bus Terminal  that goes directly to Tongyeong. (Express Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, 7, or 9, Exit 2) At the ticket booth, we asked for one way tickets for Tongyeong on an express bus. If you are thinking about traveling down too, be sure to specify express. There is a bus that makes several stops along the way and takes a good while longer! The express bus  makes only one stop and takes about 4 hours. 

Early birds do get the worm. We hopped on the first bus of the day at 9:50am after a nice breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts. The bus wasn't too full and nearly everyone fell asleep during the first leg of the trip. 

Seoul was in the midst of its largest storm of the year when we left for the southern coast. The worst of the storm hit north of the city, but Seoul was still dealing with some serious flooding on its roadways. Here is a picture that was shown on the bus TV's we headed south.

canada.com/news

The forecast for Tongyeong was rainy for the next few days as well, but as the bus ride progressed, the skies gradually lightened. The sun had come out by the time we had traveled into Gyeongsangnam-do Province. We arrived in Tongyeong around 2 pm and it still on the hazy side, but beautiful.

Tongyeong Harbor